From left, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Council President Antonio Costa, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, yesterday. EPAShow lessFrom left, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Council President Antonio Costa, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Show moreInsight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadershipJune 17, 2026When the leaders of the G7 group of nations arrived in France this week for their widely anticipated summit, there was plenty of bonhomie for the cameras. French President Emmanual Marcon and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer smiled broadly as they shook hands. US President Donald Trump, a well-known sceptic of multilateralism, cut a brooding figure but it did not spoil the businesslike resolve projected by Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and others at a roundtable photograph.Unfolding events in the Middle East and their knock-on effects have demanded a more united front. The summit will reveal much about whether these allies can still act in unison. Even as a peace agreement between the US and Iran is expected to be signed later this week, the world's great powers have much work to do, whether it be upholding access to the Strait of Hormuz, reckoning with Iran’s nuclear programme or getting the global economy back on track. That the leaders of the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, India, Brazil and Ukraine are also at the gathering in France is testament to the G7’s importance and its ability to forge wider partnerships.Play00:41UAE President Sheikh Mohamed welcomed to G7 summit by host MacronIt is clear that the G7 has the potential to continue playing a positive role at a critical time for the Middle East. The presence at this week’s summit of Arab leaders such as UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Sheikh Tamim, Emir of Qatar, mean that important voices from the region will be heard.However, not all great powers are formally in the G7 – China and Russia, notably, are excluded. Not does the grouping have the formal enforcement powers of bodies such as the UN Security Council or military alliances like Nato, but a look at its history reveals how its members have played a meaningful role in the Middle East. The US, Britain, France, Germany and Italy were central in reaching the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear ambitions. G7 co-ordination also played a prominent role in maintaining international sanctions of Iran’s banking and oil sectors, as well as the regime of Syria’s Bashar Al Assad.G7 states are permanent members of the Paris Club, the group of creditors that co-ordinates debt relief and restructuring for heavily indebted countries. Their influence was clear in post-war Iraq when, in November 2004, the Paris Club agreed to cancel 80 per cent of Iraq's $38.9-billion external debt. G7 members have also been major funders of programmes aimed at tackling humanitarian crises in Gaza and Yemen.QuoteIt is clear that the G7 has the potential to continue playing a positive role at a critical time for the Middle EastThis has not always been the case. A G7 summit in 2018 ended in disarray when Mr Trump instructed American officials not to endorse a joint communique after falling out with Canada’s prime minister at the time, Justin Trudeau. America’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change has also put the US at loggerheads with its six G7 partners.Nevertheless, this week’s summit comes at a pivotal moment for the Middle East. In a matter of days, the three-month war between the US and Iran could be replaced with a tentative new beginning. It is up to the G7 to prove that it still has what it takes to help make that new beginning a reality.Updated: June 17, 2026, 3:00 AM